Man Seeking $6.4 Million in Damages After Spending 12 Years In Jail

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A man is seeking $6.8 million in damages for the more than 12 years he spent behind bars.

Vinson Ariste was convicted in 2012 for the armed robbery of Andrea Donaldson and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Ariste maintained his innocence, saying that police induced a false confession by beating and suffocating him while in custody.

There was no other evidence linking him to the crime and the alleged confession was not documented by video or audio.

With the help of the Death Penalty Project, Ariste’s conviction was overturned by the Privy Council in 2023, who ruled that the confession evidence should have been excluded.

Ariste, who spent 12 years and eight months in Maximum Security, has filed a civil suit against the police, the prison and Attorney General.

He seeks compensation for lost wages, unlawful detention, unlawful arrest, false imprisonment and a breach of his constitutional rights.